cindercalico
by Mel18
Summary: u dont have to bother reading this ill remove it shortly but if you care theres a summary inside:)


Hey I was just seeing if I remembered how to upload stuff so don't read this it has nothing to do with anything..but if you feel like it it's a different take on the fairy tale 'cinderella' I had to write for communications and each paragraph was a separate page (it was a childrens book.) yeah ill prolly delete it in like a day so.yeah. cheese  
  
Once upon a time there lived a beautiful maiden in the country of Wales. When she was very young, her mother died, leaving only her father to provide and take care of her. He named her Ella, after her mother. He always did a good job of raising Ella, but when she was reaching her teenage years, he got a new job that paid a large sum of money. However, he would be gone at work often, so he decided to find a new wife to help care for Ella. Not long after, he brought home a wife with two daughters, Dredina and Evilina. They looked very much alike, although Dredina was a bit taller. They had thin curly hair, pointed noses that were usually up in the air, and pursed lips like they had just sucked on lemons. The mother was as sweet as day when Ella's father was around, but just when he would leave for work she changed. Her eyes were no longer warm and loving but cold and evil. She would gaze at Ella like a snake about to strike its prey. She was never mean to, but simply ignored her and absolutely favored her daughters, who would tease her, pull her hair, and chase her around the house. Only but a month after they were married, Ella's father passed away unexpectedly. Ella wasn't sure, but when her stepmother heard of this news she saw a look of triumph in her eyes.  
  
If the stepmother had actually had something to do with Ella's father's death for the money, it backfired. Without her father there to provide for them, they no longer had the money to live in their house, so they moved to a small cottage near the town. Just as soon as they entered the house, there were sounds of the four girls coughing at the dusty air. The walls, naturally, were covered in dust, and cobwebs wrapped themselves in every corner like a blanket. The stepmother flung her bags at Ella and shouted, "Take those bags upstairs!" Ella tried to catch the heavy bags but they were too big and she fell over into the fireplace. Ella was covered in ashes from the fireplace. She wiped some off her face with her fingers, but it gave the appearance of whiskers on her cheeks and only smeared it more.  
"Cinder-cat! Cinder-cat!" Evilina chanted, pointing and laughing at Ella.  
"No, it's Cinder-calico! Haha, Cindercalico, Cindercalico!" they both chanted. And so came the name Cindercalico. For the next seven years, Cindercalico lived under her stepmother's roof. She cooked, cleaned, did chores and followed her family's orders. At night, she slept in the smallest room in the smallest bed. Meanwhile.At the palace, there lived a king, his queen, and their son the prince. As expected, the king was getting old and he wanted his son to be ready to take his place when he was gone. However, in order for the prince to take his place as King, he had to get himself a bride.  
"Son," the king murmured, "you must find a bride soon! I showed you so many pretty girls, what was wrong with them?"  
"Father," the prince sighed. "All of those girls are airheads and they have their noses so high up in the air I don't recall even seeing their faces!"  
"Well, there must be someone in the kingdom who fits your criteria. We must devise some sort of plan for you to meet all of the ladies.I know! Let us hold a ball and invite all the maidens in Wales!"  
"Splendid idea, Father! But how am I to meet everyone in just one night?" the prince wondered.  
"We will have three! One every night for three nights," answered the king.  
"So it is settled," confirmed the prince. Back at the Cottage.Cindercalico was busy scrubbing the living room floors when she heard a knock on the door. It was a gentleman who handed her an envelope with gold writing and sealed with red wax. With it in her hand, she walked up to her stepmother's room and knocked on the door.  
"What is it?" barked the stepmother.  
"A-a letter came for you, ma'am! From the castle!" stammered Cindercalico.  
"Well, then, bring it here and let's open it!" snapped the stepmother.  
Cindercalico stepped into the room and opened the envelope. 13: It read:  
Any maidens eligible to attend a ball held at the palace ballroom in the nights of the upcoming Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at twenty two to one hundred hours please do so under the name of your King, Sir Albert Boswick Senior.  
  
"Well, girls," the stepmother said. "It seems as though we're going to attend a ball or three this weekend!"  
"I hope I get to dance with the prince!" wished Dredina.  
"I'm going to wear my newest gown!" Evilina said happily.  
"Now girls," whispered the stepmother, "I hear that the prince is having a ball to get a bride. So you must do whatever you can to dance with the prince!"  
"Ahhh.!" exclaimed the sisters. "What about me?" asked Cindercalico. "May I go?"  
"Well, I'm not sure if-"  
"Oh, please! I really wish to go!" whined Cindercalico.  
"Well, if you can get your chores done and find something suitable to wear," the stepmother replied.  
"Oh, thank you!" Cindercalico cried and ran out of the room.  
"Well, of course she can go," sneered the stepmother, responding to her daughters' confused looks. "If she can even get out of the house." and grinned an evil grin. Cindercalico worked very hard to get all of her chores done that week. For a dress, she was going to use her mother's old one she kept in her room, along with a pair of diamond earrings. Right before the stepmother and sisters were leaving for the first ball, she gave Cindercalico a list of a few chores and told her that she may come to the ball when she has finished them. Meanwhile, while she was busy with those chores, the stepmother locked all the doors and windows. The only way out was through a cat-door in the front door, which no one was small enough to get through anyway.  
  
Cindercalico just finished her chores and was done getting ready. She started out the door and it was locked. She tried any way she could to get out but there was no way! She didn't know what to do. She decided to just sit down and think, but she couldn't help but cry. Suddenly, there was a flash of light and BOOM! An old woman appeared wearing a long baggy robe.  
"Why are you crying, child?" asked the old woman.  
"Who are you?" gasped Cindercalico.  
"I asked you a question first," the old woman responded.  
"Well," Cindercalico started, "There is a ball tonight and I really wish to go but.my family locked me in." "Oh, well, that is a problem. But.there is always that cat door."  
"What do you mean? It is too small for me!" remarked Cindercalico.  
"Well, child, that's what fairy godmothers (me) are for," she said. "Now, if you would be so kind, just stand right here," and she placed her on a spot on the floor. With a wave of her wand and another flash of light, there was no longer Cindercalico but a calico cat. "Now," said the Fairy Godmother, "you can become a cat whenever you please, so you may escape the house, but only for 20 minutes at a time! Any longer than that, and you won't be able to change back until your true love gives you a kiss. Yes, as a cat. It is possible. However it isn't very likely, as one would assume. Which is all the more reason why you should be aware of the 20-minute limit. So go now! The prince awaits you!"  
Cindercalico gave a nod with her cat head and set off toward the ball. When she arrived, she turned back into a human and entered the ball. The palace was beautiful! There were decorations everywhere, and the place seemed filled with magic. As she headed down the stairs, the prince sitting on his throne, bored out of his mind, looked up and saw the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He made his way through the crowds to meet her. As soon as their eyes met, they had fallen in love. They danced and danced all night until it was over. He looked forward to seeing her again the next night.  
She turned back into the calico cat and beat her family home and pretended to be asleep in her room. The next night went exactly as the first. She snuck out as the calico cat after her family had left and met the prince at the ball and danced all night. The stepmother was starting to suspect something, though. That girl dancing with the prince looked awfully familiar.  
Again, Cindercalico snuck back to the house just before her family got back. On the night of the last ball, the stepmother pretended to leave but secretly waited behind a tree to see if she was, in fact, sneaking out. Naturally, she saw a calico cat sneaking out of the house. She skipped the ball this time and devised a trap for Cindercalico.  
At the ball, only an hour after she arrived, she noticed she couldn't find her stepmother anywhere. Oh no! she thought. They must have left early! Without even saying good-bye, she ran away as fast as she could out of the palace and changed into a cat. The prince ran out after her but all he saw was a stray cat and one diamond earring.  
  
When Cindercalico reached the house, she entered and out of nowhere two hands grasped her and shoved her into a tight box. "Who's gonna marry the prince now?" the stepmother fake-sobbed and laughed. She knew she couldn't just change back to human because the pressure of the box walls against her would crush her. Just a few more seconds and.she was a cat forever. The prince was going crazy over that girl; he didn't know who she was! He decided that he would search every house and if a person had the matching earring to the one he found, she would be his bride. He searched the entire kingdom until he reached Cindercalico's house. The moment the prince entered the house he was bombarded with piles of earrings, none of which matched the diamond one.  
From another room, Cindercalico heard the voice of the prince. This was her only chance! She meowed as loud as she could.  
The prince was about to leave when he heard a faint meowing. "What was that?" he asked himself. Against the stepmother and sisters' protests, he went into the next room and found the box where the meowing was coming from. He opened it, scooped the cat out, and cooed, "Oh, I just love cats!" and petted it a bit. Then he gave it a little kiss on the head and set it down. Instantly and to the prince's surprise, the cat started growing and turning into a human! With a little help from her fairy godmother, Cindercalico was wearing a beautiful gown and both earrings.  
That was all the proof the prince needed. They were married that week and everyone, except maybe the stepmother and stepsisters, lived happily ever after. 


End file.
